The crew that turned A Taste of Minnesota into one of St. Paul’s signature events is hoping to return it to its former glory — but they’re still debating whether they’ll attempt the comeback this year.

Linda Maddox, widow of Taste of Minnesota founder Ron Maddox, is leading a group that has applied to hold the event on the state Capitol grounds for the Fourth of July weekend.

“It would be everybody that used to be there, with the exception of Ron,” said Maddox, who worked with her late husband to coordinate the food and music festival from their Payne Avenue office, before the rights were sold to another group in 2009. “We had such a great crew. The staff we had knew what to do, when, and how to do it.”

But, Maddox added, “We’re in the very, very early talking stages. So nothing’s for sure. I’m kind of thinking we should hold off for a year. … The last thing I’d want to do is bring it back and have it fail.”

The application — for five days between Wedneday, July 3, and Sunday, July 7 — is tentative, and still requires such things as city permits, proof of insurance and a map.

“I’ve had a number of messages today from people that say, this would be great, let me back in. That’s been kind of heartwarming,” Maddox said. “We’d like to take it back to the old Taste, with families, and the feel of the fourth of July.”

“Music would be there, but I think what Taste was supposed to be was all these little parts that fit together. It wasn’t just the entertainment, the food, the fireworks. It was that all these things.”

Still, time is running short for a 2013 festival. Maddox noted that typically “we’d send out food vendor applications in January. This is already almost February, and the decision hasn’t been made yet whether to have it.” She said no substantial funding has been committed toward the event yet.

The effort would need a range of oversight from the city of St. Paul, but no paperwork has been submitted to city offices, according to Robert Humphrey, a spokesman for the city’s Planning and Economic Development Department.

St. Paul would regulate food and liquor licenses along with noise waivers and the involvement of public works and police, he said. The city generally needs 60 days’ notice to process such requests.

A Taste of Minnesota was held on the Capitol grounds until 2003, when it moved to Harriet Island.

The festival had almost a 30-year run before it filed for bankruptcy in 2010 with more than $1.6 million in debt.

The Maddox family, under the auspices of the now-defunct Capitol City Partnership, coordinated the event until 2009, when it was bought by International Event Marketing LLC. In December 2010, the event — now with an admission charge and an augmented music venue with an additional charge for premium seating — went bankrupt, and many creditors have yet to be paid.

Ron Maddox, the festival’s ubiquitous frontman, died of complications of a stroke in February 2010. He was 72.

Joseph Lindberg contributed to this report. Tad Vezner can be reached at 651-228-5461 or follow him on Twitter @SPnoir.

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